Pay & Benefits
OPM’s retirement backlog hit an 8-year low last month
Efforts to streamline the processing of departing federal workers’ retirement applications continue to pay dividends, as the inventory of pending claims hit the lowest point since 2016.
Workforce
Bush-era national security officials warn against Schedule F
In a letter to congressional committee staff directors, a cadre of former Republican appointees urged lawmakers to pursue a “middle ground” of federal employee accountability that preserves merit systems principles.
Pay & Benefits
Senate plans swift action on IVF bill containing new requirements for FEHBP
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that he had already begun the process of bringing a legislative package aimed at protecting Americans’ access to assistive reproductive technology to the floor for a vote.
Workforce
EPA union ratifies contract to protect employees’ scientific integrity
The deal also locks in a maximum of four days per week of telework, though labor leaders said that the agency will likely want to renegotiate the benefit after two years.
Pay & Benefits
TSP funds all bounced back in May
After a rough April, each of the portfolios in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program finished last month in the black.
Management
OPM reminds agencies of burrowing rules ahead of election season
All proposed appointments to career competitive service or Senior Executive Service positions must be reviewed by the federal government’s dedicated HR agency.
Pay & Benefits
Problem Solvers Caucus throws its weight behind an effort to kill the windfall elimination provision
Some lawmakers have spent years garnering support to repeal a controversial tax rule that cuts Social Security benefits for some public servants.
Workforce
OPM’s new acting director defends federal telework, anti-Schedule F regulations
Rob Shriver defended the Biden administration’s workforce policies, citing new data suggesting fewer federal employees telework than their private sector counterparts.
Workforce
Governance experts launch a group to oppose Schedule F
The new organization hopes to offer a consensus way forward on civil service reform issues in addition to opposing efforts to politicize the federal workforce.
Workforce
Federal agencies’ engagement and morale bounced back in 2023, according to annual rankings
The Partnership for Public Service’s annual Best Places to Work in the Federal Government report found that roughly two-thirds of federal agencies saw boosts in employee engagement and job satisfaction last year.
Workforce
OPM announces new 'safe leave' for domestic violence victims
Federal workers may now take paid leave to address issues related to their or a family member’s safety or to recover from domestic violence, abuse or harassment, under new guidance from the government’s dedicated HR agency.
Workforce
TSA and AFGE ink their first contract under expanded collective bargaining rules
After two decades of abridged or no collective bargaining rights, frontline Transportation Security Administration finally enjoy similar rights to their colleagues elsewhere in government.
Workforce
As one telework reform measure advances, another is delayed
A measure that would codify remote work in the U.S. Code and improve telework data reporting advanced by a 9-2 margin in Senate committee, but consideration of another bill aimed at improving telework data was postponed.
Oversight
An inspector general warned the Justice Department of gaps in its security clearance appeals process
The department and its component agencies have failed to implement a provision of the 2014 Intelligence Authorization Act guaranteeing federal employees of the right to appeal lengthy security clearance suspensions.
Workforce
House Dems ask agencies about their progress offering telework to military spouses
The fiscal 2022 National Defense Authorization Act requires federal agencies to offer remote work options to employees whose spouses are deployed overseas.
Pay & Benefits
OPM’s retirement backlog continued a four-month downward trend in April
Though the Office of Personnel Management’s backlog of pending federal retirement claims fell again last month, the pace of progress has slowed.
Workforce
Senators’ latest telework legislation could imperil remote work
A new bill from Sens. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., would cap all telework at 40% of an employee’s work hours, potentially endangering the federal government’s nascent remote work program.
Pay & Benefits
A CBO report raises new questions about Biden’s 2% pay raise plan
Analysis favored by conservatives shows that when comparing workers’ “total compensation,” the private sector has nearly caught up to the federal government’s pay and benefits package for employees.
Management
Shriver assumes acting OPM director role
The federal government’s dedicated HR agency will be led by its long time deputy director, following Director Kiran Ahuja’s resignation.
Workforce